Joyce looks to send countrymen packing

With his angelic face, Ed Joyce does not look capable of cricketing fratricide, but that is essentially what the opening batsman will be committing should he help England prevent an Irish uprising tomorrow.

Twenty months ago, Joyce did more than any other Ireland player in getting the team to this World Cup. His 399 runs at an average of 99 in the 2005 ICC Trophy ensured Ireland reached the final, an achievement that saw them qualify with Scotland, Canada, Holland and Bermuda. Now, he must turn his bat and silken strokes against those he raised up - a battle between old allegiance and new ambition.

"I expect us to win comfortably if we play well," Joyce said yesterday. "I'm an Irishman playing for England so my first game against Ireland last summer in Belfast was difficult and emotionally quite strange.

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"My little brother was playing for Ireland and I had my whole family there, but I got over it quite quickly. Mind you, it's still going to feel odd playing against my countrymen. But I've got to keep getting runs in every game, so I'm hoping it won't affect me that much."

His family, he confirms, are proud of his achievements for England, though not everyone has been supportive of his shift across the Irish Sea. Some critics, most vocal on radio phone-ins, have condemned the move as high treason. "People who don't know cricket in Ireland gave me a bit of stick, but that's to be expected. My decision was based on the fact that I was playing county cricket and that was the right thing for me. I don't see any reason playing county cricket and not trying to play for England.

"So far the knockers haven't really affected me. Kevin Pietersen played his first game against South Africa and got some grief, but he used it to fire him up. Hopefully I can do the same, though I'm not planning on getting the tattoos any time soon."

Joyce, 28, has been England's leading run-scorer so far in this World Cup, following his duck against New Zealand with innings of 66 and 75. Before that his reputation had been based on the timely, if fortunate, hundred he made against Australia in Sydney (he was dropped on six) in February, a match England had to win to stay in the competition.

His highest scores here have been against Canada and Kenya, which suggest his previous experience at Associate level leaves him less apprehensive than some in his side, who have approached the lesser teams as if every half-volley was a hand grenade. Complacency must be avoided against every side, but England did seem ultra-cautious against the minnows in their group.

To ensure there are no rude surprises at the Guyana National Stadium tomorrow, Joyce has been passing on knowledge of his former team-mates to England analyst Mark Garaway. But intimate knowledge is surely a two-way street?

"I've spoken about the Ireland team. Obviously I know where not to bowl at the batsmen, what pace their bowlers send it down at and how much the spinners turn it, but it's not much different from most other teams. Hopefully our advantage is that they know one of our team well and we know 11 of theirs."

Ireland's progress to the Super Eight stage has surprised many, but not Joyce, who feels his own presence here was less likely. As a number four better suited to the longer game, Joyce felt expected to play Test cricket for England before getting a one-day berth, especially as an opener.

He is an interesting choice for he is not a typical Duncan Fletcher pick. For one thing, his fielding is poor. His batting, while capable of the most dazzling shots, is also at odds with England's rather starchy plans of building platforms with the bat rather than demolishing them.

With only two sixes in his one-day career, he is not about to remedy that by turning into a power hitter, despite concerns that England's top three are not being ambitious enough at the start of the innings.

"Our game plan is to try to get our big hitters in towards the end of the game when the shine is off the ball, so the top three are trying to set up a good platform," Joyce admitted.

"Vaughan, Bell and me are not massive hitters, so it's a case of using what we've got to do well. At the moment, we're happy we're doing a good job."